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Friday, March 06, 2015

New rules to improve helo safety aboard destroyers

Ship crews now have new measures to improve safety as destroyers land helicopters.

The move comes a year and a half after a fatal 2013 mishap when a chock and chained MH-60S Sea Hawk was swept off the flight deck of the destroyer William P. Lawrence and into the Red Sea, claiming the lives of its two pilots, and leading to discord between surface warfare officers and helicopter aircrews.

The new system, which now takes sea state into account to determine safe helicopter operations, has been tested and rolled out to the fleet in recent months, Naval Surface Force Pacific said Thursday.